thoughtasylumTOOLBOX Preview

Tools › Developer

Path Converter

A path in any form (POSIX, ~, Terminal-escaped or quoted, HFS such as Macintosh HD:Users:…, file:// URL, AppleScript POSIX file, smb:// URL or Windows \\server\share) fills a field for each form at once, each with a Copy button: POSIX, from home, quoted for the shell, a file:// URL, HFS, AppleScript POSIX file, and, for a network share in /Volumes with an SMB server given, an smb:// URL and a Windows UNC path.

About this tool What it's for, how to use it and an example

What it's for

Turn a file or folder path from one format into all the others at once. Macs, scripts, URLs and Windows machines all write paths differently, and this saves you rewriting them by hand.

For example, when a colleague on Windows sends you a \\server\share path, paste it in to get the path for Terminal, Finder or an AppleScript, or go the other way and send them a path they can open.

How to use it

Paste a path in any form: a normal POSIX path, one starting with ~, one dragged into Terminal (My\ File.txt) or wrapped in quotes, an HFS path such as Macintosh HD:Users:…, a file:// URL, an AppleScript POSIX file, an smb:// URL or a Windows \\server\share path. Every other form appears below it, each with a Copy button.

For network shares, enter the SMB server’s name to get the smb:// and Windows forms of paths under /Volumes. Set your home folder and startup disk so that ~ and HFS paths match your Mac. These settings are remembered in this browser.

Example

Paste this Windows path to a file on a network share:

\\nas\projects\2026\Q3 Brief.docx

You get /Volumes/projects/2026/Q3 Brief.docx as the POSIX path, '/Volumes/projects/2026/Q3 Brief.docx' quoted for the shell, file:///Volumes/projects/2026/Q3%20Brief.docx, the HFS path projects:2026:Q3 Brief.docx and smb://nas/projects/2026/Q3%20Brief.docx.

Good to know

A Windows drive-letter path such as C:\Users\… has no Mac equivalent, so use the share’s \\server\share form instead. A / in a file name appears as : in HFS paths, and the other way round, which is how macOS itself handles it.

Paths dragged into Terminal (My\ File.txt) and quoted paths are understood. In HFS paths a / in a name is shown as : in POSIX paths, and the other way round. Set your own home folder and startup disk below, so ~ and HFS paths match your Mac.

World ClockPlaces side by side with the hours of the day lined up, so you can pick a meeting time that suits everyone, with working hours shaded and daylight saving handled for the date you choose.Hex ViewerA file's bytes in hex, with each character shown above its bytes (UTF-8 included, control characters as symbols), 4 KB at a time and read straight from the file, so large files are fine; plus its entropy, the text inside it, and any files hidden inside it.Web ScratchpadHTML, CSS and JavaScript, each in its own syntax-highlighted tab, run together as one page, on ⌘/Ctrl-Enter, the Run button or as you type. Result and Console tabs show the page, and its console output and uncaught errors (with the line in the JavaScript tab).Hash / ChecksumMD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3, BLAKE2, BLAKE3, RIPEMD-160, CRC-32 and Adler-32 of text or a file, HMACs with a key, and a check of a published hash that also says what kind of hash it is.BcryptHash a password with bcrypt at the cost you choose, and check a password against a bcrypt hash, with the hash's cost and salt shown.UUID GeneratorUp to 1,000 UUIDs as version 4 (random), 7 (time-ordered), 1 (time-based) or 5 (from a namespace and name), ULIDs, NanoIDs and MongoDB ObjectIds, and a tool to read any of them.

Private: this tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type, paste or choose leaves this page.

Saved you a few minutes? Say thanks with a coffee.

Something wrong with this tool, or missing from it? Report a bug or suggest a feature.

↑ ↓ move↵ openesc close